Spring awakening in Meran: where nature freshens up for you

The wine path leads you from the centre of the village of Caldaro to Lake Caldaro, passing numerous vineyards and wine farms. The nature around Lake Caldaro is particularly beautiful in autumn, when the fruits of the many grape-vines and apple trees are mature and ready to be harvested. Therefore, we suggest you to make the following hiking tour: Especially in autumn, the "Weinweg" is very popular for walking and short hiking tours. Running in the shape of a number eight with its crossing point in the centre of the village, it leads us through the many vineyards around Caldaro. Reading the signs embedded in the earth along the trail we understand which vineyard we are just walking through. Those signs are made of the materials of the soil on which the wine in Caldaro grows: white limestone and porphyry.

The Southern section of the "Weinweg" runs as follows:

At the North-eastern end of the Rottenburg square in the centre of Caldaro we take the road in the direction of Villa di Mezzo and turn left following the signposts in the direction of Barleit (trail no. 12). Arrived at the Barleiterhof farm, we turn right (trail no. 12A) until we reach San Giuseppe al Lago. Crossing the Altenburg river on a bridge we continue our tour towards the main street (the “Weinstraße”). Having arrived at the Northern shores of the Lake Caldaro, at the Geier Restaurant we follow trail no. 3 through wine-yards and meadows back to our starting point, the centre of Caldaro.

Walking from the village centre, take the Bahnhofstraße to the Naturnser Sportplatz and continue on upwards to the beginning of the Jesus Besinnungsweg or Meditation Walk, a kind of pilgrims' path with 15 stations-of-the-cross. A great way to see more of the beauty of the surrounding countryside and marvel at the glories of nature which God created.

Another option for hikers who prefer a longer walk is to take the path leading up from the Kreuzigung station to the farmhouse at Unterschwarzplatz and then path no. 11 to the Gsindboden with its viewing platform. Stop for a moment here to admire the lovely panorama and fine views of the Vinschgau valley and up into the Schnalstal, the Senales valley, to the place where Ötzi, the Ice Man, was found, fascinating Juval Castle where world-famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner and his family live or downwards towards the charming, ancient little valley church dedicated to St. Procolo.

The return walk leads over the Tschirlander Heide and through the hamlet of Tschirland back to Naturno or past the Haslhof farm to Tabland then on through Tschirland to Naturno.